De Brauw assisted Rabobank in its merger with all 106 local member banks and in implementing its new governance structure. The new structure came into effect on 1 January 2016 after the General Meeting of Rabobank Nederland approved the merger at meetings held on 9 December 2015.

Each local Rabobank now has direct representation on behalf of its members in the highest organ of the cooperative, the General Members’ Council, which decides on the strategy of the entire bank, amongst other things. The 106 local banks and Rabobank Nederland will work together from one cooperative holding, one banking licence and in the release of one set of financial statements. By moving to a new structure, Rabobank is acting in anticipation of legislative and regulatory change and gearing up to respond more effectively to future developments.

De Brauw was involved from the start of the process and advised on possible governance structures, strategic legal questions, and the design of the new governance structure, and coordinated the overall merger process.

Team
Martin van Olffen, Mariken van Loopik, Angela van Breda and Paula Ravensbergen